Mail-bag catcher and deliverer



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. H. KALVALAGB. MAIL BAG GATOHBR AND DELIVER.

No. 586,130. Patented July 13,1897.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J.H.KALVALAGE. MAIL BAG UATGHER AND DELIVER.

No. 586,130. Patented July 13, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

JOHN H. KALVALAGE, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

MAIL-BAG CATCHER AND DELIVERER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,130, dated July 13, 1897.

Application filed March 8, 1897.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN H. KALVALAGE, a-

citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Catchers and Deliverers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in mail-bag catchers and cranes or appliances for placing mail-bags on and removing them from moving railway-cars; and its novelty and advantages will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the catcher in its operative position on a car and the crane in a position for use in conjunction with the catcher. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken in the plane indicated by the line w w of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a section taken in the plane indicated by the line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. tis a diametrical section of a portion of the crane. Fig. 5 is a detail section taken in the plane indicated by the line m at of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the rings for use on the catcher and crane, and Fig. 7 is a detail view of a portion of the crane.

In the said drawings similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the several views, referring to which- A indicates a portion of a railway-car having the usual door-opening a.

B indicates a platform, andO indicates a crane mounted on the platform and arranged in proximity to the track on which the car A is designed to travel. The crane 0 comprises a lower stationary section b, which is fixedly connected to the platform B, and has the flange 0, provided with two (more or less) notches din its periphery, the upper section e, which has the lower reduced end arranged in the upper end of section b, and the flange f, bearing on the flange c, and also has the horizontal arm 9 at its upper end and the handle 72, which is pivotally connected to the flange f of section 6 and is designed in a hori- Serial No. 626,470. (No model.)

zontal position to serve as a convenient means for turning the section 6, and is also designed, in the position shown in Fig. 1, to enter the notches cl in flange c and thereby lock the section 6 in its operative and inoperative positions.

The crane O is provided upon the end of the arm 9 of section 6 with the mail-ba -receiving device D, which is designed in its operative position to extend in the same direction as the railway-track, as shown in Fig. 1. This device D is provided at its ends with hooks t' and at points adjacent to its middle with notches j, and it also has its upper edges Z0 inclined upwardly from the hooks to the notches, for a purpose presently to be described. Upon the face or side of the said device D contiguous to the railway-track it is further provided with the brackets Z, which are arranged one above the other, as better shown in Fig. 7, and are provided with the upwardly-extending lugs m. These brackets Z are designed andadapted to support a ring E, which is designed in turn to receive and hold a ring F, attached to a mail-bag G, as shown in Fig. 1.

The ring E is provided with the upper and lower lateral portions 11, which are designed to rest on the brackets Z within the lugs m, the portions 19, disposed at right angles to the portions nand designed to rest upon the brackets Z between the lugs m, so as to hold the ring against casual downward movement, and the pivoted gate portion g, which is designed to be swung up to permit of the ring F being interlocked with the ring E, and is bifurcated at its free end, so as to enable it to rest upon the lower lateral portions 71-, and thereby effectually prevent casual disengagement of the ringF from the ring E.

H indicates the mail bag catcher, This catcher H comprises brackets r, secured to the car Aon opposite sides of the door-opening a, and having apertures s of angular form in cross-section, the shaftt, which has angular portions u, resting in the brackets r, and also has apertures 11 for the engagement of a staple w, which straddles one of the brackets r, and the arm I, which is suitably fixed on a central angular portion of the shaft 25. This arm I has the handle at extending within the car A, and it is also provided at its outer end with the section J, which is connected with the arm in a hinged manner and is designed to be fixed in alinement therewith by a setscrew y, as shown by full lines in Fig. 2. The arm J is provided with the mail-bag holding and receiving device D, which is similar in construction to that of the crane C, and is designed to support a ring E, similar to that used on the crane in the manner shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

In the practical operation of my invention, when it is desired to place a ring E, to which a mail-bag is connected, on the device I) of the catcher it is simply necessary to move the arm I to one side of the shaft 2, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and after loosening the screw y swing the section J and the device D around to the position also shown by the dotted lines. WVith' the device D in this position the ring E, with the mail-bag attached thereto, may be readily placed in position thereon, after which said device D is returned to the position shown by full lines in Fig. 2 and secured by tightening the screw y, and the arm I is also returned to the position shown by full lines in Figs. 1 and 2. \Vith the parts in said position, when the car reaches the crane O the ring E on the catcher will take upon the device D of the crane and, riding up the edge 7s thereof, will be lifted from the brackets Z of the catcher and be held on the device D, either to the hook 11, notchj, or on the edge 75 thereof, from which it may be readily lifted.

WVhen it is desired to place a mail-bag on a moving car, the same may be accomplished by placing a ring E, to which the bag is attached, on the device D of the crane, so that as the car passes the crane the device D of the catcher will take through said ring and lift it from the crane device and carry it along with the car. The ring and the attached bag may then be readily lifted from the catcher device D and drawn into the car by a person within the same.

When it is not desired to use the catcher, the arm I and the parts carried thereby may be swung downwardly alongside the car, so as not to strike obstructions at the side of the path of the car, it being simply necessary when this is to be done to remove the staple w and move the shaft If in an endwise direction until its round portions rest in the brackets 4", when the catcher will of its own weight fall into a pendent position. WVhen said catcher is in such pendent position, the shaft?! may be held against casual endwise movement in the brackets r by placing the staple so that its tangs will enter the intermediate and inner end apertures 7) while it straddles one of the brackets r.

WVith my improved catcher and crane it will be observed that mail-bags maybe placed upon and removed from fast-moving cars without in any way subjecting the bags to damage and without endangering the atten dants.

It will also be observed that the improvements are adapted to operate irrespective of the direction in which the train is moving and that the rings E are adapted for repeated use, it being simply necessary in order to dis engage a bag-ring therefrom to raise the pivoted portions q of the rings and draw the bagrings out through the openings thus formed.

It will further be observed that when the crane is not in use it may be swung in a direction away from the railway-track and secured in such position, so as to remove the liability of it being struck by projections on passing trains.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim. is-

1. In a mail-bag-delivery apparatus, the combination of a railway-car, a catcher device arranged at one side of the car and eX- tending longitudinally thereof and having its upper edge inclined and also having brackets on its outer side or face provided with upwardly-extending lugs, a stationary crane arranged at one side of the car-track, a device connected to the crane and extending in the same direction as the car-track and having its upper edge inclined and also having brackets provided with upwardly-extending lugs, and a ring adapted for use on the catcher and crane device and having the upper and lower external portions designed to rest on the brackets of said devices Within the lugs and portions adapted to bear on the brackets between the lugs, substantially as specified.

2. The combination with a mail-bag catching and holding device, adapted for use on a mail-bag catcher or crane, and having brackets arranged one above the other on its face and provided with upwardly-extending lugs; of a ring adapted for the connection of a mailbag and having upper and lower lateral portions designed to rest on the brackets of the bag holding and catching device within the lugs thereof and portions adapted to bear on the brackets between the lugs, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a mail-bag catching and holding device, adapted for use on a mail-bag catcher or crane, and having brackets, arranged one above the other on its face, and provided with upwardly-extending lugs; of a ring having upper and lower portions designed to rest on the brackets of the bag holding and catching device within the lugs thereof and portions adapted to bear on the brackets between the lugs and also having the pivoted gate portion q, substantially as specified.

4-. The combination of a car having a dooropening, brackets connected to the car and arranged on opposite sides of the door-opening, a shaft or rod arranged in said brackets, the arm mounted on the shaft, a section pivotally connected with the outer end of the arm, means for normally securing the said section in alinement with the arm, and a bag holding and catching device carried by said pivotally-connected section, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of a car having a dooropening, brackets connected to the car and arranged on opposite sides of the door-opening and having apertures of angular form in cross-section, a shaft or rod arranged in the bracket apertures and having portions of angular form, conforming to the apertures of the brackets and also having reduced portions of circular form in cross-section and f urther having a plurality of apertures, a staple adapted to straddle one of the brackets and be inserted in the apertures of the shaft or rod, an arm mounted on the shaft or rod and disposed at right angles thereto, and a mailbag catching and holding device carried by said arm, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN H. KALVALAGE. Witnesses:

FRANK KRUPP, FRED WIEDEMAN. 

